Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/159

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GBANT. 135 GRANT. Saint Louis, Mo., wlicre he cultivated a farm and engaged in tlie real-estate business. His lack of knowledge of business methods, however, and his earelessness in money matters involved him heavily in debt, and cau.sed him in 185',) to give up and move to Galena, 111., where he wa.s em- ployed in ills father's store at $81)0 a year. Here he was living when the Civil War broke out in 1801. He immediately recruited and drilled a company of Galena volunteers, and accompanied them to Springfield, where he was employed in the Adjutant-General's department as a muster- ing officer. He offered his services to the national Government, but, receiving no reply, accepted on June ITth the colonelcy of the Twenty-first Hli- nois Volunteer Infantry, and served with his regi- ment mider General Pope in Missouri until Aug- ust 7tb, when he was commissioned a brigadier- general of vohmteers. In this capacity he sei-ved in Missouri ; was later placed in charge at Cairo, 111., and early rendered important service by the seizure, on September 6, 1801, of Paducah, Ky., at the mouth of the Tennessee, and on the 25th of Smithland, at the mouth of the Cum- berland, two important strategic points. His next move, a month later, was to check the advance of a large force under General Jeff Thompson, this being successfully accomplished by two battles, one at Fredericktown, Mo., the other at Belmont. The District of Cairo was now enlarged, and General Grant was placed in command. In February, 1802, he moved from Paducah with 15,000 men, aided by Commodore A. H. Foote (q.v. ), with a fleet of gunboats, for the purpose of capturing Fort Henrii-, on the Tennessee, and Fort Donelson. on the Cumber- land. The former surrendered February 6th. its reduction, however, being the work of the gun- boats; the latter was taken on the 10th, only after a severe battle in which the land forces were engaged. (See Fort Henrt and Fort Donelson.) Buckner, who was in command of the fort after the withdrawal of his superior officers, proposed the appointment of commission- ers to settle the terms of capitulation, to which General Grant replied: "No terms other than an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon your works." The capture of this fort was the first important and brilliant victorj' of the Federal arms, and it m.ade a great impression upon the country. General Cirant was at once made a major-general of volunteers, his commis- sion being d.ated as of the d.ny of the battle; and by a play upon his initials he became widely knoiii as 'Unconditional Surrender Grant.' The battle of Shiloh (q.v.), or Pittsburg Landins. was next fought. The Federal troops at that point were attacked April 0th by a Large Confed- erate force under Gen. A. S. .Johnston (q.v.) . and suffered heavy loss. General Grant arrived on the field at the critical moment and reformed the broken lines, and hea'y reenforcements under General Buell having arrived, the battle was re- newed on the 7th .and the Confederates, now under the command of General Beauregard (Johnston having been killed), were driven back to Corinth. In this battle General Grant was slightly wounded. He was second in command in the movement against Corinth, which was oc- cupied by the Federal troops on May ,30th. When, in July, General Halleck was called to Washington to take command of the armies of tlie United States, General Grant was assigned to the command of the Department of the Ten- nessee, with head(|uartcrs at Corinth. In Sep- tember he fouglit the Confederate General Price at Iuk,a and defeated him. He then removed his headiiuartcrs to Jackson, leaving Rosecrans with 20,000 men to hold Corintli, which he did success- fully. In October General Grant's dei)artm('nt w.as enlarged by a portion of Mississippi, includ- ing Vicksburg, the forces under his command being designated as the Thirteenth Army Corps. After several efforts by different jilans to capture Vicksburg, he was finally enabled, as a result of his brilliant movements, to invest the city, May 18, 1803, and on July 4th General Pemberton sur- rendered with about 30.000 men. General Grant was now appointed a major-general in the Regular Army, and in October was placed in command of the Military Division of the Tennessee, com- prising the departments commanded by Sher- man, Thomas, Burnside, and Hooker. General Grant was next called upon to conduct the opera- tions against the Confederate Cieneral Bragg at Chattanooga. On November 24th the Federals stormed Lookout Mountain, and on the 25th they carried the heights of Missionarj' Ridge. General Halleck, in his annual report to the War Depart- ment, said that, in view of the strength of Bragg's position and the difficulty of storming his in- trenchments, "the battle of Chattanooga must be considered the most remarkable in history. Not only," he continued, "did the officers and men ex- hibit great skill and daring in their operations on the field, but the highest praise is due to the com- manding general for his admirable dispositions for dislodging the enemy from a position appa- rently impregnable." Congress at its next session passed a vote of thanks to General Grant and his army, and ordered a gold medal to be struck in his honor. The grade of lieutenant-genenal was revived. General Cirant was nominated by Presi- dent Lincoln for the position, and the nomination was promptly confirmed by the Senate. On March 17, 1864, he issued his first order a.s commander-in-chief of the armies of the LTnited States. His headquarters thereafter were with the Army of the Potomac. The battles of the next campaign, which had for their object the capture of Richmond, in front of which the main army of the Confederates was concentrated for a last and desperate resistance, were among the bloodiest of the whole war. The first movements of General Grant, though unsuccessful as to his main design, resulted in crippling the enemy and so preparing the way for final victory: but they were attended with terrible loss of life. The great battle of the Wil- derness (q.v.) was fought against General Lee on May 5th-May 6th, and was followed by the bloody engagements at Spottsylvania Court-House. On •lune 3d Lee repulsed a tremendous assault of the Tmion forces at Cold Harbor. General Grant, having failed in his flanking movements, saw at last that his only hope of seizing Richmond de- pended upon his first taking Petersburg, and to this object he now addressed himself with his usual pertinacity. Lee attempted to create a diversion by sending Early on a raid across the Potomac. Sherman soon after forced Hood to evacuate Atlanta, and then started on his famous 'march to the sea.' Sheridan's victory at Five Forks, March 31-.4pril 1, 1865, destroyed the la.st hope of a successful defense of Richmond. On